Michael Degenhardt | + Follow Poet |
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Hero

He walked along never looking up to the sky,
eyes constantly placed there on the ground
watching his feet, I suppose, as he trudged along.
Hands in his pocket, never a smile for anyone,
he would walk daily, to where? I don’t know,
yet, he walked each and every day like clockwork.
Was he disrespectful? Never, he just didn’t ever
have a word for anyone, he seemed a loner,
but one day made me see him differently.

She was five years old, playing with a bright pink
ball in her front yard. The ball seemed to have
a mind of its own as it rolled into the street.
He was on his daily walk down this street
when in the corner of my eye I noticed her
venturing into the street to get her new ball.
I wouldn’t get there on time to stop the child as
a woman on her cell phone in her SUV drove
unknowingly toward the innocent child.
He noticed, too, and like a bullet, shot out
between other cars, grabbed her and placed her
safely back on the curb. The child witnessed her
ball explode under the weight of the car and cried.
The girl’s mother came rushing out just in time
to see him walking down the street and she
assumed the worst. She accosted him and accused
him of heinous crimes of depravation and immorality.
He tried to continue to walk but the wall the mother
created was one of unbearable force, until I acted
as he. I came between the cars now and told the 
mother what had transpired and the look on her face
was one of only embarrassment as she picked up
her child and ran quickly into her house. He said 
thank you and walked on, but not before I said 
thank you to him for saving the girl and me,
the girl from physical death and me from a death
of spirit. I continued on my day with a smile on my
face and a love for the world in my heart.

Copyright © Michael Degenhardt | Year Posted 2008

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